Tennis News

That would be GREAT to see an ATP tournament in Edinburgh. Not to far I will have to keep reminding myself about it. It will be fantastic thanks Aileen I am sure all of Scotland will be so looking forward to it. Is Andy going to be there ? I hope so and it will be great to see all the other players too.

That would be GREAT to see an ATP tournament in Edinburgh. Not to far I will have to keep reminding myself about it. It will be fantastic thanks Aileen I am sure all of Scotland will be so looking forward to it. Is Andy going to be there ? I hope so and it will be great to see all the other players too.

LB, this is the Seniors' Tour, so Andy won't be there. He'll be in London practising hard for that trophy he'll be aiming for at Wimbledon.

Great news Aileen - another bit of nous for boho-chic Stockbridge. How will it be affected by the Wimbledon circus though, I wonder? Would be great to go to though.

As this takes place on the three days before Wimbledon starts I expect a lot of people will turn up, although I've no idea just how many can be accommodated - probably not that many given the size of the grounds. I wouldn't mind going myself but I've a strong suspicion the tickets will be costly.

Captain Pat Rafter will not consider bad boy Bernard Tomic for Australia's opening Davis Cup tie next year due to concerns over his on and off-court behaviour, a report said on Thursday.

Rafter took the decision two months before his side's opening match against Taiwan in February, the Sydney Morning Herald said.

Tomic, 20, has fallen foul of Tennis Australia several times over the past 18 months since reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2011.

"Pat has made the decision early that for the first tie next year Bernard will not be selected," Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia's director of tennis, told the newspaper.

"As a team, we just felt that part of the commitment that we make to athletes and athletes make to the sport is they always put 100 percent commitment and effort in competing for their country."

Rafter had been particularly scathing of Tomic's performance in losing to Andy Roddick in the second round of this year's US Open, describing his final set capitulation as "disgraceful".

US tennis great John McEnroe said Tomic, currently ranked 52nd in the world, seemed to give up during his 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 loss to Roddick at Flushing Meadows.

Tomic also admitted that he had given only "85 percent" in his 6-4, 6-0 defeat to German Florian Mayer at the Shanghai Masters in October, saying the pressures of the tennis tour were taking their toll.

In the same month, he was questioned by police after a fight with a friend on Australia's Gold Coast.

Tomic was found guilty last month of failing to stop for police on the Gold Coast in his high-powered, bright orange sportscar and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond.

"We just felt that this decision should provide additional motivation every time (Tomic) walks on the court, to be a total professional in his approach to not only his preparation but competing in the match and post-match," Tiley said.

"And it would be no different if he was the number one player in Australia or the number 100 player, or a junior."

^I'm seriously worried about Bernie. I hope he has some good people around him.

Me too. I like his game, he's a talented player. All that seems to come from Australia about him is criticism - he doesn't seem to be getting much support there at all. Plus his father isn't exactly supportive during his matches either.

From what I've read, it does sound like he wants to sort things out for next season. Mentally he's found it tough to adjust to the main tour. Hope he can, as last year he played excellent matches against Rafa at the AO and Djokovic at Wimbledon (plus beating Soderling there) which showcased his potential.

^I'm seriously worried about Bernie. I hope he has some good people around him.

To be honest Tomic's situation sounds like a bit of a mess. It's a shame too. Last year he showed such potential, and now all that seems to have gone up in smoke.

I think it's a tough situation, it seems to me that the young man is being criticised from all sides at the moment. Some of that may well be deserved, for example his performance, or lack of, at the USO against Roddick, and other situations where he could have done better or behaved better, and just didn't. However, I do wonder if anyone has taken the time to sit him down and talk to him about what is going on. I know some will say that's soppy, but I don't know. Sometimes I think we all need someone around us who is strong enough to look us in the eye and ask what the hell we're playing at. I wonder if he does have someone near though, who cares enough to do that.

It seems to me that Tomic has some overlaps with Andy, in the sense that they are both the one big hope for their countries in the sport. I say that knowing Hewitt is still playing, but surely his days must be numbered now. The thing with Andy is that he has coped with being our top player, the one we have who belongs at the top. Maybe Tomic is not dealing with the expectation placed on him. Maybe it is a case of too much too soon.

I must say, at the risk of speaking out of turn, I'm wary of the situation with Tomic's father too. Something just feels wrong there. I remember that one match where Tomic patently wanted his father removed, only to back-track in his interview and say that wasn't what he meant. I know he was trying to prevent a story, that sort of thing, but it was so obvious he was back-tracking.

The Swiss world No.2 has competed in four Olympics for a doubles gold in 2008 and singles silver this year, and he said he would love to make it to the Rio Games.

"There is a lot of passion for sports here," he said.

"It's a hot place to play tennis right now."

Federer said this year was especially difficult for him because he also committed to the Davis Cup and London Games, which took him away from practice and from spending time with his family.

"I've played a lot of tennis. It's been a big challenge, especially with the Olympics and the Davis Cup this year," he said.

"I found my way back to world No.1 and it took a lot of sacrifices. I'd like to be home a little bit more often and in a relaxed fashion."

Federer played 21 tournaments in 2012, the most among the top four players. World No.1 Novak Djokovic played 18, No.3 Andy Murray played 20 and Rafael Nadal, nursing a knee injury, played 18.

"I'm not going to play 25 tournaments, but every tournament that I will be playing I'll be emotionally attached to it, because I either won there before or because I've been there many times or because I love the city or the country and the fans," he said.

"Today I've reached a point in my life that I can pick and choose where I want to play and how much I want to play."

Federer said he thinks he will need two Grand Slams and five to eight titles in other tournaments to get back to No. 1.

"It's difficult, but I'm happy to set that challenge and I'll give everything I have," he said.

^I'm seriously worried about Bernie. I hope he has some good people around him.

Bernard Tomic has brushed aside his reported axing from Australia’s Davis Cup side and claimed he can be the best tennis player of all time.

Tomic strongly denies he was dumped by Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter due to behavioral issues, saying he never made himself available.

"I was never meant to play that tie," Tomic said.

"I'm going to use that time to train to prepare for tournaments in America.

"I spoke to Pat and told him I would miss the first one and maybe the second one ... I was never meant to play, I told Pat that."

The world No.52 says he is getting his career back on track.

"I'm young and I'm learning. You get to a point where you need to stop and I think it's a good bit of advice," said Tomic.

"I'm working really hard and trying to push myself to become the best tennis player I can be.

"I've had a slippery slope the last year. It's changing me and I'll prove I'm going to be the best-ever player one day to play this game."

Tennis Australia director of tennis Craig Tiley was quoted on Thursday as saying Rafter won't consider Tomic for the tie against Taiwan while questioning the 20-year-old's commitment to representing his country.

Australia's most recent grand slam winner, Sam Stosur, believes it's time for Tomic to "knuckle down" if he's going to have any chance of fulfilling his enormous potential.

When asked what advice she would give the under-fire Tomic, Stosur said he must ask himself some tough questions if he's going to bounce back from a dismal end to the year when his ranking slid from No.27 in June to No.52.

"What are you doing? Are you wanting to play tennis?," Stosur queried in Sydney.

"If you are, then give it 100 per cent because you only get one crack at it.

"He's going to have to decide what he wants to do and how he's going to approach his career.

"Until that improves in a lot of people's eyes, he's going to have to deal with things like being dropped out of the Davis Cup team."

Stosur added it would be unfortunate to witness Tomic's undoubted talent go to waste.

"That's probably the most disappointing thing for a lot of people on the outside - that he's got this unbelievable tennis ability and he's not really using it at the moment," said the 28-year-old world No.9.

"So I think everyone would like to see him knuckle down and do his best and see where that gets him."

Tomic responded positively to the words of wisdom from the 2011 US Open champion, who is about to head into her 14th year on the WTA tour.

Tomic will get the chance to start proving the doubters wrong when he represents Australia at the Hopman Cup in Perth later this month.